Wholesale prices for strawberries in Uzbekistan have fallen 4.5 times over the past week, which was an unprecedented drop in prices in one week. According to EastFruit analysts, such a sharp drop in prices is due to the influence of the weather conditions that led to a collapse in strawberry prices in neighboring Tajikistan in the second decade of April 2022.
According to EastFruit price monitoring, from April 15 to April 22, 2022, the average wholesale prices for strawberries decreased from 90 000 to 20 000 UZS/kg ($7.94 to $1.77), i.e. by 4.5 times in just one week. If we consider the dynamics of wholesale prices in April, then the average wholesale prices have fallen by 5.5 times from the maximum value recorded on April 8, 2022 at the level of 110 000 UZS/kg ($9.68) over the past two weeks.
As of April 22, 2022, the average wholesale prices for strawberries are 3 times lower than on the same date in 2021 and correspond to the prices on the same date in 2020.
As of April 22, 2022, in retail sales – for example, in Korzinka.uz supermarkets in the capital of Uzbekistan, strawberries are offered at 27 990 UZS/kg ($2.48).
Literally ten days ago, wholesale prices for strawberries in neighboring Tajikistan collapsed in one day by 2 times (from $4 to $2), and a further rapid price decline was beyond doubt. As of April 22, the average wholesale price for strawberries fell to $0.88/kg.
“After an abnormally cold spring, a hot summer immediately set in. Accordingly, berries began to ripen very fast. In addition, strawberries need to be sold quickly so that they do not spoil at high temperatures, so farmers are forced to reduce prices,” Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, a consultant at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), commented at the time.
Since Uzbekistan experienced weather changes and air temperature dynamics similar to Tajikistan in April, after an abnormally rainy and cold March 2022, the collapse in strawberry prices in Uzbekistan is explained by the same factors, EastFruit analysts say.
The use of the site materials is free if there is a direct and open for search engines hyperlink to a specific publication of the East-Fruit.com website.
